


RadAway

by MercenaryZero



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Fluff, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-06 23:03:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14658062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercenaryZero/pseuds/MercenaryZero
Summary: Bit of fluff between a mercenary and a raider.





	RadAway

He’d jumped into the water after him, Jelani knew it happened but he still couldn't believe it, he jumped into the water after him. He never goes near large bodies of water, nowhere near rivers, ponds, lakes, much less the shore. Just the thought of Libertalia made Angelus hyperventilate. He’d bite into mirelurk cakes and other mirelurk food with such ferocity you’d think he was eating it out of spite instead of hunger. If it had anything to do with large bodies of water or anything that lived in it Angelus would turn back in fear. So why did he jump into the water to help him?

The mercenary stood by the front door and kept an eye out for Rayner’s arrival. It shouldn't have taken this long, when they spoke on the ham radio he told Jelani he was tending to some wounded settlers over at Coastal Cottage, another settlement Jelani thought of as too small, too exposed and too miserable to be considered a proper living quarter. Recent raider attacks proved him right.

Rayner had given him his word that as soon as he was done with tending to the wounded he’d make his way over to them. For now all Jelani could do for Angelus was to keep him away from anything radioactive and to give him plenty of purified water. As cruel as it sounded it would've also been best if he avoided any food for the time being. In his delicate state even half a gram of radioactive intake could worsen his state and create further health problems.

In the distance Jelani spotted Dagny patrolling the area, she usually did so with Maya by her side but Maya had stayed with Angelus to keep an eye on him. As soon as Jelani had gotten him to lay down in bed and placed a blanket over him Maya had jumped into bed with him and placed her head on his neck while keeping watch and trying her best to comfort him.

“Hey, Dagny! C’mon, girl!” Jelani called out to the small night stalker who quickly turned her head towards him and ran to him as her tail wagged. That's what Jelani loved about Dagny, the world could end all over again and she’d still look at Jelani with a huge, goofy grin on her face and her tail would wag so fast the rattler at the end of her tail would sound more like a hum. He thought that as long as Dagny would smile, wag her tail and look up at him with those two big pretty eyes nothing could be as bad as it seemed.

As Dagny ran towards Jelani he tapped his chest twice which prompted her to jump up so he could carry her. When the creature was caught Jelani hugged her tightly and walked into the barn. Once inside he set her down and she ran over to Maya who was still next to Angelus. Dagny stood on her hind legs and stretched her neck forward to sniff around the bed while wagging her tail and putting on a huge, goofy grin. This made Jelani feel slightly better; he hadn't shown any concern towards Angelus’ injuries, not because he didn't care, but because he didn't want to cause panic. A cool and reserved head in these situations proved better.

“Hey, girl…” Angelus spoke with a raspy whisper as he slowly stretched his arm out to pet Dagny.

“Down, Dagny. Leave ‘im alone.”

“It’s fine...I’m okay.” Angelus said as he turned to Maya to pet her as well.

“No, you're not.” Jelani walked over to the chair he'd placed close to the bed and sat down. He checked Angelus and was relieved to see his nose had stopped bleeding though his eyes were still bloodshot and watery. He placed his palm on his forehead but his fever hadn't lowered despite his best efforts to keep him cool.

“It’s okay, sweetie.” Angelus reassured Maya who’d let out a quiet whimper. “I never even asked...are you okay?” The question had obviously been directed at Jelani.

“I’m fine.”

“Don't worry so much. I’ll be fine.” Angelus chuckled as he sat up on the bed. He clicked his tongue as he scratched behind both of Maya’s ears and smiled at the dog.

Jelani wanted to say something or rather ask something. He knew Angelus was terrified of water and of anything that swam in it. Mirelurks were frightening but mirelurk kings terrified him to the bone, they were known for dragging their prey to the deeper ends of whatever lake or shore they lived in and pulled them down ultimately drowning their prey. When that mirelurk king had grabbed Jelani and pulled him under he thought he was done for. Just remembering the incident was terrifying enough to send a chill down his spine. The helpless feeling of kicking as much as he could only to keep going further down, watching the bubbles of air rapidly shooting up, fear of not knowing how much longer he could hold his breath, fear of swallowing irradiated water and the panic he felt when his chest began to burn. If it hadn't been for that one well-placed kick to the creature’s head he might have drowned. It was like a fuzzy memory buried in the back of his mind that seemed to have been too fast to process but Jelani knew it had been Angelus who ran down the dock to where he was and helped him out of the water before the aquatic beast could grab him again. It was hours later when Jelani managed to process the fact that Angelus had rushed to help him. He set aside his fear of water and aquatic creatures to help him despite having always joked that he would have Jelani’s back no matter what unless it involved water.

Unfortunately the rescue almost ended in tragedy when the mirelurk swam back up and grabbed Angelus. In his panic he had quickly opened his mouth to shout and ingested a lot of irradiated water. Water that also filled his lungs. When Jelani managed to finally kill the creature he’d pulled Angelus to the surface and between Maya and Dagny they got him to shore where Jelani managed to get him to start breathing again. But due to the high level of radiation in the water and how much of it got into Angelus he’d quickly began to show signs of radiation sickness. Luckily his nose and gums hadn't bled that much but as the hours went by Jelani grew worried over how much Angelus was slouching and breathing hard. He was worried about the fact that his skin kept getting paler by the minute. Why did he risk drowning? He’d let others die gruesome deaths before, why was Jelani an exception? Jelani had his suspicions, he’d been carefully watching Angelus’ behavior for the past two months and as careful as he was he’d sometimes slip and make it seem a bit obvious so that Jelani could notice. This past week his slip ups were frequent and careless. Maybe it was nothing at all but Jelani just couldn't let it go, he had to hear Angelus’ answer.

“Can I ask you something?” Jelani broke the silence.

“Mmmm what?”

“Why did you jump into the water to help me? You hate water; you're scared to death of it.”

Jelani looked at Angelus as he waited for an answer. He noticed he’d stopped scratching Maya’s ears and sat perfectly still, Jelani could even tell he’d stopped breathing for a few seconds.

“I didn't want to--”

“Hello? Jelani?”

Before Angelus could answer Rayner had finally arrived. While Jelani was glad that he did his timing was terrible. He balled up his hands into a fist out of frustration and quickly stood up to open the door. 

Angelus noticed the reaction but was both relieved and annoyed at the interruption. He decided to not bring up the conversation again unless Jelani did, whether he was truthful or not was up for debate.

“Hey, guys.” Rayner greeted as he walked into the barn and walked up to Angelus. His usual cheerful smile was plastered across his face as he stood in front of his patient. His cheerful disposition and happy smiles worked with children and most adults but Angelus was always reserved around doctors. He knew Rayner was legit and cared for his patients but he still couldn't help but feel nervous around him.

“So what happened?”

“Mirelurk king attacked us. Pulled him into the water and he almost drowned.” Jelani explained.

“Swallowed a lot of water?”

“Yeah.”

“All right, what are the symptoms so far?”

“Nose bled for a while, his gums were bloody, he threw up a couple times on our way here, gotten really pale, his eyes are watery and bloodshot, and he has a fever.”

“Any blood in the vomit?”

“I...didn't look in it.” Jelani regrettably admitted.

“A little bit.” Angelus spoke up.

“Okay, how long ago was he exposed to the water?”

“Probably fourteen hours ago.”

“Alrighty, lemme just take a look here for a sec. Open your mouth as wide as you can.” Rayner held Angelus’ mouth open but as soon as he looked inside he jerked back in surprise. “Oh, boy…”

“What?” Jelani asked with a little more concern in his tone than he had intended.

Angelus caught the tone and quickly looked to Jelani who’d taken a few steps toward him.

“Gums are bleeding again. Sorry, Angelus, gonna have to go direct this time.” Rayner said as he looked through his medical bag.

“What do you mean?”

Rayner retrieved a large plastic bag with a white label on the surface with “RadAway” crudely written on it. The sickly orange colored liquid swished as Rayner placed the bag beside Angelus as he retrieved the other tools he needed. As he did he gave the boys instructions that they needed to follow if they wanted Angelus to recover.

“Now, you're gonna need to stay with this on you all night long and I’m sorry to say there will be side effects. Mostly just a headache and stomach pain which shouldn't be too bad but just in case. Jelani?” Rayner turned to Jelani and handed him a syringe but before letting go of the chem he sternly gave more instructions, “This is only for extreme cases. It doesn't happen a lot but it does happen. Should the headache or stomach pain be very painful give him this.”

“Got it.”

“Leaving only one Med-X just in case.”

“What the fuck do you mean by that, Doc?” Angelus bitterly said. He knew exactly what Rayner had meant but knowing full well that Rayner was not a combative person or one to be upfront he wanted to make him say what he had meant as a means to embarrass him and startle him from taking jabs at him. It hadn't been a jab but Angelus felt it had been.

“I mean you have a problem and by the track marks on your arm it isn't a small problem though I am glad to see there aren't any fresh ones at all.”

Angelus chuckled to masquerade the fact that his plan backfired and blew up in his face. Seems Rayner had taken his wife’s advice to grow a pair and not let “punks like that raider scumbag” push him around. Rayner was right about one thing, well, two things but Angelus was never one to admit even to himself that he had a long history of addiction problems. He couldn't remember the last time he’d shot up any Psycho or taken any Buffout, in fact, he had no real recollection of when exactly he had stopped aching for the next high. He thought back to last week and the week before that and the week before that and the only substance he had continued to use was alcohol and had taken up more smoking than he had before. He honestly had no idea when he’d stopped having the need to get high off chems though he certainly knew why he stopped.

“Enough!” Jelani exclaimed as he turned to Rayner and then to Angelus. “So one shot of this only if the pain gets really bad.”

“Yes.” Rayner nodded as he grabbed Angelus’ right hand, cleaned the top of it and began to insert a small thin needle into one of the veins. He’d asked Jelani to take the bag of RadAway and place it on the wall behind Angelus to keep the liquid flowing down. Without a proper stand Jelani had no choice but to tape the bag to the wall. He'd been careful not to press on it tightly so he used plenty of tape to avoid it falling off the wall since it would have to be there all night long.

“That okay?” Jelani asked as he stood back to see the tape covered IV bag. Honestly speaking it looked crude and he was sure it would fall but he’d make sure it didn't.

“Yeah, it's fine.” Rayner then turned to Angelus, “Please, please, please, do not remove the needle until every drop of that is gone. In fact, I’m gonna stay over at Coastal Cottage for the night to keep an eye on some of the wounded but I’ll drop by tomorrow to check up on you.”

“It's ok, Ray.” Angelus waved him off with a small smile. He honestly didn't think of the situation was that severe.

“Sure, Ray,” Jelani interjected, “We’ll sit tight here until he’s better.”

“Ok, well, best head back before it gets dark. Remember, don't remove that needle. At all. If the area starts to kinda itch it's fine just lightly scratch it. No food yet only purified water and plenty of it if you have it. I got three bottles on me.”

Angelus raised his left hand and shook his head, “Keep it. We got plenty stashed here.”

“All right. So just be sure to not move around too much, keep an eye on that fever. It should go down after the fourth hour on the IV. If it doesn't don't panic, it just means we need to administer another dose. Uh, Jelani, take this,” Rayner handed Jelani a small bottle of pills labeled Rad-X, “One every hour. Just in case.”

“Thanks, Ray. Need me to go back with you?” Jelani asked as he looked up and then back at the bottle of pills.

“No, no, don't worry, someone from Coastal Cottage escorted me. Just keep an eye on him.”

“How much do we owe you?”

“Jesus, Jelani, what kinda doctor would I be if I charge people for medical help?”

“A normal one?” Angelus chuckled as he leaned his head on the wall.

“Ha, ha, look, I don't charge any that need my help whether it's a settler, mercenary or even a raider. We make our caps by other means just so I can do this. You guys know that.”

“Well, thanks a lot, Ray. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See ya, guys. Bye, Maya, bye, Dagny.”

Jelani escorted Rayner out of the barn mostly to take a look at the escort he'd brought with him. She seemed hardy and able so Jelani didn't feel too bad about not escorting him back himself but Rayner was right, he needed to stay behind to keep an eye on Angelus in case he got worse. Before walking back in he took a single pill from the bottle of Rad-X that Rayner had given him. He thought it might’ve not been necessary but it was better to be safe. He’d be no use to Angelus if he got sick too.

As he locked up the front door he remembered the question he asked Angelus but had been interrupted by Rayner. He still wanted to know what his answer was but he didn't want to seem desperate to know although he was. He recalled what Angelus had started to say and it seemed to make his suspicions all the stronger and if he was to be honest he did like how he was starting that answer. Maybe if he asked again the tension would cease, he’d been feeling the tension for some time now, suddenly interacting with him felt heavy on him. He was careful about what he said, he seemed to not be angered by Angelus at all, grand feat as most everyone seemed to anger Jelani easily, and then there was that panic he felt when he saw Angelus wasn't breathing. When he'd dragged Angelus back to shore and he saw he wasn't breathing the same panic he felt when he’d seen his brother fall to his death hit him hard.

Jelani often made it clear to everyone that he didn't care about anyone at all except for his brother Loke and the day he died he thought he’d never care about anyone again. But there he was hovering over his friend as he tried to resuscitate him while fighting off that familiar panic. Maybe Angelus was the exception to the rule? Whatever it was, it didn't explain the overwhelming relief he felt when he'd gotten Angelus to cough up the water in his lungs. Not to mention the attention he was giving him though he could argue that the attention was justified since he had almost drowned and was now sick from radiation exposure. But then again if Jelani didn't care at all about anyone he wouldn't have cared about why Angelus jumped into the water to help him.

“How do you feel?” Jelani broke the silence as he walked up to Angelus.

“Kinda groggy but okay I guess.”

“You should get some sleep.”

“Can't sleep, getting kinda hungry. You should get some rest though.”

Jelani opened his mouth to say something but his words failed him. Why did he have to know Angelus’ answer? Why was it so important to him? Why was he hoping for a specific answer? One that he was so afraid to admit to. He could play it off as curiosity getting the better of him if the answer wasn't the one he was hoping for but it didn't sit well with him.

“What?” Angelus asked while looking at Jelani.

“What what?” Jelani stuttered as he shook his head.

“You're standing there gawking at me. Fuck’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing. Good night.” Jelani answered as he turned and quickly walked towards his bed but half way there he scuffed and turned around, “No, you know what? I gotta know. Why’d you do it?”

“What does it matter?”

“Goddamn it, answer the fucking question.”

Angelus was surprised to say the least. He didn't think Jelani would bring up the subject again much less be so adamant about knowing why he did it. He honestly wanted to tell Jelani the truth but he was also terrified that he’d be overstepping his boundaries. If he didn't tell him the truth he knew he'd be frustrated and would eventually regret it but at least he’d still be able to have Jelani as a friend. If he told him the truth at least the tension would cease but there was also the chance that he'd push Jelani away or maybe nothing would happen.

“You're my friend,” Angelus started as he lowered his gaze, disappointed in himself for not having the courage to tell Jelani the whole truth, “Actually, you're the only friend I have and I didn't want to lose you...”

“Oh…” Jelani whispered. That was the answer he was afraid of, the answer he was hoping not to hear and yet there it was. It left a bad taste in his mouth but there was nothing he could do about it without making things complicated. He lowered his gaze and turned to go back to his own bed now that he had his answer, though he regretted ever bringing up the question in the first place.

“And...because I’m in love with you.”

Jelani stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes widened and second guessed what he heard. Had he really heard Angelus say that or was it wishful thinking that had gotten out of control? He slowly turned around while he tried to catch his breath, his mouth turned into a smile that stopped halfway as he tried to say something but he couldn't decide if he should laugh or say something to him. He walked back to Angelus who had remained perfectly still with his head down causing his hair to cover up most of his face. Jelani stood beside Angelus and tried as hard as he could to control his smile but the more he tried the wider his smile got so he gave up on trying to control it.

“What did you say?”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn't have said that.” Angelus swallowed hard as he tried to control his breathing and kept his head down as to avoid looking at Jelani who he guessed must have looked furious.

“You’re what?” Jelani asked. He still had a wide smile on his face. He’d crouched down beside the bed and raised his right hand to tuck Angelus’ hair behind his ear to get a better look at his face. He grabbed his chin and lifted his face so Jelani could see him better.

“I…” Angelus began but he trailed off as he shifted his eyes to the side to avoid looking at Jelani directly. Jelani seemed calm and bore a curious expression instead of anger like he had expected. This did catch him off guard but he was afraid to repeat what he had confessed to.

“Seriously...what did you say?” Jelani repeated himself. He’d heard him the first time but he wanted to solidify what he heard. Not out of spite, anger or confusion but to make sure Angelus was sure of what he had said before Jelani could say anything to him.

“I um...I’m...in love with you.” Angelus slowly turned his eyes away from Jelani’s and tried to turn his face away but Jelani still had a good grip on his chin.

“No, no, look at me. You are?” Jelani let out a chuckle and smiled once more.

“Yes.”

Jelani chuckled again only this time he lowered his head and gently placed his forehead on Angelus’ arm, “God, at least you had the balls to say what I’ve been scared shitless to say for so long now.”

“Come on, Haakonson, you ain't afraid of any---wait, what?” Angelus looked up at Jelani as soon as what he said registered. He stared at Jelani in disbelief of what he heard him say.

“I love you too.”

Before Angelus could speak again and Jelani would lose his nerve he looked up and kissed him. Angelus was caught by surprise at Jelani’s answer and reaction but he was also relieved that admitting he was in love with him hadn't been met with hostility as he thought it would be. Everything was still processing in his head and despite what Jelani had said and the fact that he was still kissing him Angelus pulled away and looked him in the eye.

“I thought you'd be pissed off.”

“No way, never. If I’d been a little braver I would've told you myself.”

Jelani leaned in but as his lips brushed up against Angelus’ he backed up remembering he was still sick from radiation exposure and as much as he wanted to feel his lips on his once more he didn't want Jelani to get sick either. He quietly pointed to the RadAway clumsily taped to the wall. Jelani responded by rattling the bottle of Rad-X which he then placed back on the table next to the bed.

\---

“Oh, that's a load of shit.”

“It’s true! That's all they talk about down at the harbor.”

“Ain't nobody ever seen nothin’ in the shore except for mirelurks. Much less a--a ghoul whale. Do they even know what a whale is? They're pulling your leg, Ray.”

“Well, I guess so. Maybe they're just confusing it with debris or something else.”

Rayner had kept his promise to check up on the mercenary and the raider first thing in the morning. He restocked his bag and asked Cyrus to escort him in case there was trouble.

Cyrus was more than happy to go along with him, sitting still with a rifle behind a turret was not exactly something he looked forward to doing three days in a row. He preferred the open road or at the very least patrolling the area. The walk to the farm wasn't exceptionally long but he was grateful for the chance to stretch his legs. Along the way Cyrus and Rayner talked about the other settlements and newest developments from the Wasteland.

Rayner had been glad it was Cyrus that volunteered, he had a habit of talking too much but through his ramblings Rayner found out good information like which settlements needed more medical help, which ones needed medical supplies and which ones had vendors wandering through them that sold medicine. With the recent attack medical supplies were low in Coastal Cottage but he had hoped one dose of RadAway would've been enough but he brought another bag just in case. Usually one did the trick but having swallowed a lot of contaminated water could be difficult to deal with. If he did need another dose he’d spend one more night in the small settlement to further check up on his patient and make sure he was back to his old self again though he admitted the Commonwealth felt more peaceful without that warhead running loose in it.

As they came up on the dairy farm they spotted Maya and Dagny playing in the front but as soon as they spotted Rayner and Cyrus they quickly ran over to greet them.

“Hi, girls!” Rayner greeted as he reached into his pocket and pulled out two small treats for each which they happily chewed on.

“Do your thing, Doc. I’ll keep watch out here.”

What Cyrus really meant was that he’d stay outside to play with the dog and the dog like critter and would prefer not to see any needles going into or out of any surface. That was fine by Rayner, Cyrus could watch out for trouble.

“Hello?” Rayner called out as he opened the front door and carefully looked around. The first place he walked to was the sleeping bag next to the western wall where he’d seen Angelus the night before but it was empty and the RadAway was not taped to the wall.

“Guys? Hey, is everything alright?” For a minute he thought they’d left but he quickly remembered seeing Maya and Dagny playing outside. He called out again a little louder but was only met with silence. Rayner was beginning to worry and to call more frequently and louder until he finally got a response which happened to be Angelus peaking over the bed that was on the second floor.

“Ugh, it's morning already? Gross.”

“Go back to sleep, will ya?” Jelani groaned as he swung his right arm over Angelus and placed his head over Angelus’ who then smiled as he saw Rayner’s face turn bright red.

“Oh, my god! I’m sorry, guys!” Rayner yelled as he quickly turned his gaze aside and placed his hand over his eyes in case neither of them had gotten dressed yet.

The yelling prompted Cyrus to burst through the front door with his rifle at the ready and a steady gaze scanning the building. As soon as he saw Rayner he lowered his rifle and defenses, slightly turned his head, and looked up to see what made Rayner’s face turn as red as a ripe tato. He chuckled as he rested the rifle over his shoulder.

“Guess the wife was right after all. I take it you're feelin’ right as a mole rat in a garden, ain't ya, sweetheart?”

“Yes, he is.” Jelani laughed.

“So I um...I can just head outside and--and wait for you guys to get dressed and--”

“Relax, Proper Penny,” Angelus chuckled as he carefully sat up on the bed, “Even if we wanted to fever didn't go down till a little after midnight.”

“So how do you feel?” Rayner asked as he walked up the stairs to check up on the raider.

“Honestly? Starving but okay, I guess. So can I take this thing off?”

“Let me see.” Rayner took a thermometer from his bag and placed it under Angelus’ tongue to make sure his fever was really gone.

“Well?” Angelus asked.

“Be patient. Takes a minute or two and we'd rather be sure. Jelani, you're not showing symptoms are you?”

“I’m good. Popped a few Rad-X last night.”

They patiently waited for Rayner to check his temperature as Angelus leaned on Jelani. He honestly felt fine and had a lot more energy than he did the day before. He was thankful that he was no longer shivering from the cold and didn't feel like he would vomit every time he moved. After a minute Rayner removed the thermometer, looked at it and smiled.

“Fever’s gone. Unfortunately for everyone in the Wasteland you've got a clean bill of health, McGrath. You can go back to being your usual terrible self.”

“Hey, that's great.” Cyrus said as he tossed a small parcel full of caps towards Jelani. “You boys up for a little huntin’?”

“Who’s the target?” Angelus enthusiastically asked as he turned to Cyrus.

“We found out where those Gunners that hit us are hiding. My sources say they're in Salem, exactly where, I have no idea but they were spotted setting up a little nest there. Take ‘em all out and I’ll send one of my guys with some extra caps. What do you say?”

“Babe?” Angelus turned to look at Jelani to see what he’d say. Angelus was obviously ready and willing to go. He needed the stimulation after two days of dragging his feet and sitting down while barely moving.

Jelani on the other hand was concerned that Angelus would be pushing himself too hard. He could've easily died from the radiation sickness but as he looked at him he seemed fine and lively. They'd obviously get some food in them before moving out, clean themselves up and feed the dogs. He loved how excited Angelus seemed so he smiled at him, put the caps down on the bed and while still looking at Angelus he said, “They're as good as dead.”


End file.
